The Desert of Wheat By: Zane Grey (1872-1939)
The Desert of Wheat by Zane Grey is an enthralling tale that combines elements of romance, suspense, and historical fiction. Set during World War I in the wheat fields of Washington state, this novel takes readers on a captivating journey through the harsh realities of war and the challenges faced by those living on the home front. The protagonist of the story is Kurt Dorn, a hardworking and determined wheat farmer with a passion for his land and crops. As the war rages on, Kurt finds himself at odds with the German spies infiltrating his community, sabotaging wheat production and threatening the livelihood of his fellow farmers. Grey skillfully weaves together the intense emotions felt during this tumultuous period, highlighting the anxieties, fears, and suspicions that plagued Americans of German descent during the war. In addition to the action-packed scenes and suspenseful plot, Grey also explores the complexities of human relationships. Kurt's love interest, Kate, adds a touch of romance to the narrative, providing both solace and trepidation amidst the chaos of war. The author masterfully depicts the conflicting emotions experienced by Kurt and Kate, as loyalty and passion collide in their desperate attempts to protect their land, community, and newfound love. Grey's vivid descriptions of the Washington landscape are a testament to his exceptional storytelling skills. Readers are transported to the vast fields of waving wheat, feeling the scorching heat of the desolate desert and the gritty soil beneath their feet. Through his lyrical prose, Grey brings the setting to life, immersing readers in a world filled with both beauty and danger. While the pacing of the novel occasionally slows down, especially during the farming scenes and the extensive description of wheat cultivation methods, these sections still provide an insightful glimpse into the arduous life of a wheat farmer. Grey's meticulous attention to detail and his own personal experiences as a farmer lend authenticity to these otherwise slower moments, ultimately enhancing the reader's understanding of the challenges faced by the characters. Overall, The Desert of Wheat is a captivating and thought-provoking novel that seamlessly blends historical events, engaging characters, and breathtaking landscapes. Through Grey's evocative writing style, readers are transported into an era marked by the chaos of war and the resilience of those who fought to protect their land. This book is a must-read for fans of historical fiction, romance, and those with an appreciation for the indomitable spirit of the American West. First Page: ZANE GREY THE DESERT of WHEAT 1919 CHAPTER I Late in June the vast northwestern desert of wheat began to take on a tinge of gold, lending an austere beauty to that endless, rolling, smooth world of treeless hills, where miles of fallow ground and miles of waving grain sloped up to the far separated homes of the heroic men who had conquered over sage and sand. These simple homes of farmers seemed lost on an immensity of soft gray and golden billows of land, insignificant dots here and there on distant hills, so far apart that nature only seemed accountable for those broad squares of alternate gold and brown, extending on and on to the waving horizon line. A lonely, hard, heroic country, where flowers and fruit were not, nor birds and brooks, nor green pastures. Whirling strings of dust looped up over fallow ground, the short, dry wheat lay back from the wind, the haze in the distance was drab and smoky, heavy with substance. A thousand hills lay bare to the sky, and half of every hill was wheat and half was fallow ground; and all of them, with the shallow valleys between, seemed big and strange and isolated. The beauty of them was austere, as if the hand of man had been held back from making green his home site, as if the immensity of the task had left no time for youth and freshness... Continue reading book >>

The Desert of Wheat By: Zane Grey (1872-1939)

The Desert of Wheat by Zane Grey is an enthralling tale that combines elements of romance, suspense, and historical fiction. Set during World War I in the wheat fields of Washington state, this novel takes readers on a captivating journey through the harsh realities of war and the challenges faced by those living on the home front.

The protagonist of the story is Kurt Dorn, a hardworking and determined wheat farmer with a passion for his land and crops. As the war rages on, Kurt finds himself at odds with the German spies infiltrating his community, sabotaging wheat production and threatening the livelihood of his fellow farmers. Grey skillfully weaves together the intense emotions felt during this tumultuous period, highlighting the anxieties, fears, and suspicions that plagued Americans of German descent during the war.

In addition to the action-packed scenes and suspenseful plot, Grey also explores the complexities of human relationships. Kurt's love interest, Kate, adds a touch of romance to the narrative, providing both solace and trepidation amidst the chaos of war. The author masterfully depicts the conflicting emotions experienced by Kurt and Kate, as loyalty and passion collide in their desperate attempts to protect their land, community, and newfound love.

Grey's vivid descriptions of the Washington landscape are a testament to his exceptional storytelling skills. Readers are transported to the vast fields of waving wheat, feeling the scorching heat of the desolate desert and the gritty soil beneath their feet. Through his lyrical prose, Grey brings the setting to life, immersing readers in a world filled with both beauty and danger.

While the pacing of the novel occasionally slows down, especially during the farming scenes and the extensive description of wheat cultivation methods, these sections still provide an insightful glimpse into the arduous life of a wheat farmer. Grey's meticulous attention to detail and his own personal experiences as a farmer lend authenticity to these otherwise slower moments, ultimately enhancing the reader's understanding of the challenges faced by the characters.

Overall, The Desert of Wheat is a captivating and thought-provoking novel that seamlessly blends historical events, engaging characters, and breathtaking landscapes. Through Grey's evocative writing style, readers are transported into an era marked by the chaos of war and the resilience of those who fought to protect their land. This book is a must-read for fans of historical fiction, romance, and those with an appreciation for the indomitable spirit of the American West.

First Page:

ZANE GREY

THE DESERT

WHEAT

1919

CHAPTER I

Late in June the vast northwestern desert of wheat began to take on a tinge of gold, lending an austere beauty to that endless, rolling, smooth world of treeless hills, where miles of fallow ground and miles of waving grain sloped up to the far separated homes of the heroic men who had conquered over sage and sand.

These simple homes of farmers seemed lost on an immensity of soft gray and golden billows of land, insignificant dots here and there on distant hills, so far apart that nature only seemed accountable for those broad squares of alternate gold and brown, extending on and on to the waving horizon line. A lonely, hard, heroic country, where flowers and fruit were not, nor birds and brooks, nor green pastures. Whirling strings of dust looped up over fallow ground, the short, dry wheat lay back from the wind, the haze in the distance was drab and smoky, heavy with substance.

A thousand hills lay bare to the sky, and half of every hill was wheat and half was fallow ground; and all of them, with the shallow valleys between, seemed big and strange and isolated. The beauty of them was austere, as if the hand of man had been held back from making green his home site, as if the immensity of the task had left no time for youth and freshness... Continue reading book >>

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